Traditional pottery: Bizen Ware

Bizen is named after the village of Inbe in Okayama Prefecture, previously known as Bizen province.
Most of the ceramics produced in the southeastern part of Okiyama Prefecture are known as Bizen ware.
Bizen is one of the “Six Ancient Kilns”, which have been producing pottery continuously since the Heian period (6th Century).
The clay from Bizen has a high iron content which makes it resistant to glazing, so it has an unglazed, natural finish. The outer layer of the earthenware (gloss, markings etc.) is entirely dependent on the kiln firing.
Bizen ware is fired in kilns only once or twice a year, in wood-burning kilns in which the fire is kept burning for 10 – 14 days.
To see Bizen ware and Inbe ware, visit the Bizen Pottery Traditional and Contemporary Art Museum in Inbe near Okayama, or the shops and studios in the town.
More information:
– from the Japan National Tourism Organisation
– from Japan Pottery net